onBoard Celebrates 100th Club - Tynemouth Sailing Club
by Emma Slater, RYA 22 Jul 2008 03:11 PDT
21 January 2008
onBoard celebrates 100th club to join up © RYA
Tynemouth Sailing Club has been unveiled as the latest centre to be awarded RYA OnBoard status, bringing the national total of OnBoard clubs and centres to 100 marking a huge achievement for the project.
"It’s wonderful to bring OnBoard to Tyneside at the Tynemouth Sailing Club who have worked hard to achieve their OnBoard status and it’s great for the scheme to hit the 100th club target,” comment Victoria Lenz, RYA Sailing Development Officer.
The scheme aims to make sailing and windsurfing more accessible for youngsters by working with schools, youth groups and sailing clubs and centres across the country. With a national target to get half a million children involved in sailing being set for the next 10 years, Centres like Tynemouth are part of a rolling scheme to bring sailing opportunities closer to the local community.
To celebrate their new OnBoard status Mike Shipway, Training Principal of Tynemouth Sailing Club received a special 100th OnBoard club plaque from Victoria. Mike said: "Being approved as an OnBoard Centre is excellent for the Club and being the 100th club makes it a little more special too.
“It confirms our standards of safety and teaching and we will be forging links with schools across North Tyneside throughout 2008/2009 to give more local youngsters the chance to go sailing."
In the year of the Olympics it is worth remembering that sailing is currently the UK's most successful Olympic sport and that the UK is the most successful Olympic sailing nation - an achievement that can only be maintained by encouraging young people to take up the sport.
“The OnBoard programme not only makes it easier for kids to get out on the water in the fresh air, get healthy exercise and learn new skills, but it also makes it easier for schools to approach sailing and windsurfing activities with the confidence of knowing that the OnBoard clubs fully approved as RYA Training Centres,” concluded Rod Carr, RYA Chief Executive.
If you want to find out more about getting ‘OnBoard’ visit www.ruob.co.uk